Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Taking a look back at last season's best Bruins fights. I selected fights where guys were throwing bombs at each other. If I had to choose one fight it would be the Shawn Thornton vs Darcy Hordichuk fight. It was a really good one that left Thornton with a bloody nose and Hordichuk with a nasty cut under his left eye. Let me know what fights you think were the best from last season.

On Tuesday, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli announced that they have released seven players from training camp. Forwards Zach Hamill and Trent Whitfield were placed on waivers and expected to be assigned to Providence (AHL). The others include: Jamie Arniel, Colby Cohen, Michael Hutchinson, Zach McKelvie, and David Warsofsky, and they will all be assigned to Providence (AHL).

Monday, September 26, 2011

Last night the Bruins played against the Montreal Canadiens and beat them 7-3. Joe Corvo, Brad Marchand, Daniel Paille, Zdeno Chara, Tyler Seguin and Jordan Caron all scored a goal in the game.

Nathan Horton played in his first game since the Aaron Rome hit and played well.

Horton: “I was a little nervous coming in, just from what happened. I was just trying not to think too much - just work hard and do the little things. I didn’t feel too bad, to tell you the truth. It felt a little bit different being on the ice, but it felt OK.”

Joe Haggerty: “Good first test run for Nathan Horton tonight. Got a few bumps and bruises, but didn’t seem hesitant or jumpy with the puck at all. Horton also looked very good with Seguin skating on the line with him both in practice and in tonight’s game.”Source

Thursday, September 22, 2011

On Wednesday night the Bruins played a preseason game at the Ottawa Senators and the Senators won in overtime 2-1. Tough guy Lane Macdermid scored the only goal for the Bruins and Tuukka Rask played well in net. Rask made 34 saves on 36 shots. Watch the NESN game summary video with Jack Edwards below.

The next Bruins preseason game is on Friday against the New York Islanders. Then the Bruins play Montreal on Sunday and Monday.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

After long contract talks, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli and Brad Marchand seem to have come to terms on a new contract, for 2 years $5 million ($2 million in 2011-12 and $3 million in 2012-13). Multiple sources have confirmed this on Twitter including such as ESPN's Pierre LeBrun. Check out my Twitter as I re-tweeted some posts about the deal.

This is good news for the Bruins to have Marchand signed and I think the contract and money is just right. Hopefully Marchand can do what he did last season again this season.

It's getting closer and closer for the hockey season!

Update: It's now official, the Bruins have reported the 2-year deal with Marchand.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Monday night at TD Garden, the State of the Bruins, the annual State of the Bruins town-hall style meeting for season-ticket holders, was held. The members of the Bruins management that was there included Cam Neely, owner Jeremy Jacobs, principal Charlie Jacobs, GM Peter Chiarelli and coach Claude Julien. On the player side, there was goalie Tim Thomas and forward Patrice Bergeron. NESN's Andy Brickley was there serving as emcee.

Here are some quotes from the evening:

Cam Neely
"This has been the most enjoyable State of the Bruins, there's no question about that," Bruins president Cam Neely said after the event. "It's gotten better every year, but this has certainly been the best."

Jeremy Jacobs
"I was never as happy and never as exhausted as I was when we finished [the Cup Final]," Jacobs said. "And that stuck with me for a couple weeks afterwards, and it truly hasn't settled in yet to be honest with you. It's hard to express or imagine what's involved in that. Winning a Stanley Cup was a dream come true."

"We have the same team," Jacobs said. "We've got the same organization. They know what it takes to win now, and it's an interesting phenomenon to see guys that have been there, what they're willing to reach down in order to succeed. This is a group of wonderful guys. We've been very lucky."

Claude Julien
"Now that we've won the Stanley Cup, I would certainly like to let the people here know that we're never satisfied," Julien told the crowd. "We look to get better from management down to the players. This year is going to be one of those years where every team is going to up their game against us, and I guarantee that we're planning to up our game as well in order to meet that challenge."

"We're different than players, for players rest and conditioning is the most important part," Julien said. "For us [as coaches], it's rest and the mental state of ourselves. Three days after we won the Cup, I was already going on how do I handle the offseason. That was automatic for me. You start worrying about the following year as soon as the job's done. But somehow during the summer I've tried hard to push myself away, just kind of block everything off and come back as fresh as I could."Source

Tim Thomas
"Definitely, there's no question," Thomas said Monday night after the State of the Bruins town-hall style meeting with season-ticket holders at the Garden. "Last year at the beginning of camp I was still limited in what I was supposed to do at practice. And there was still a little bit of hip pain. It was definitely better than it had been before, but it was still there. This year I don't have to deal with that at all, so I definitely feel better than I did a year ago."

"The [lack of] confidence was related to, 'I don't know if I can do this physically,'" Thomas said. "It was on that end. It wasn't about confidence whether you could do it or not. Ultimately it was, but it was a physically-related confidence, rather than a mentally related confidence problem, which I think is much worse."

"Actually I feel good," Thomas said. "I didn't have any injuries I had to deal with, which is kind of amazing considering the amount of games we had. So physically, it's not even an issue. I haven't even had to think about it, which is nice."

"Actually I was able to do more than the summer before because the summer before I was having physical therapy on the hip," Thomas said. "I should be in more well-rounded good shape this year than I was last year."

"I was able to train my full body, instead of just the hip and core area, which is what I did mostly the summer before," Thomas added.

"In a certain way the season is a relief because you're back to a routine that you're used to," Thomas said.

"I think it's important to have goals, and that's something that's served me well over the course of my career," Thomas said. "Obviously, we set the goal for the Stanley Cup and were able to achieve it. To have a season like this, where me personally I won a Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe and the Vezina, basically the conclusion that I came to this summer is that I have no choice but to shoot for it again."Source

Also on Monday, Cam Neely introduced the "new look" banners that will be hanging in the TD Garden rafters starting this season. The banners depict the Boston Bruins primary logo from the era that they won the Stanley Cup in. Watch the video below of the past banners being brought up.

Monday, September 12, 2011

There is some great news relating to Marc Savard, unfortunately it's not about his health but about his name being engraved onto the Stanley Cup. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli confirmed today that Marc Savard will have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup.

The Bruins had to petition for his addition as Savard did not meet the qualifications of playing at least 41 regular-season games or one game in the Final to automatically be put on the Cup. Savard played just 25 games after returning in December from a severe concussion suffered the previous season, only to have his season cut short again by another concussion in January.

Rookie defenseman Steven Kampfer, who played 38 games in the regular season and did not dress for any postseason games, and veteran Shane Hnidy, who played three games in the regular season and three games in the first two rounds of the playoffs, are not expected to get their names engraved.

"Marc will be on the Cup," Chiarelli said. "The other guys, Steve and Shane, I'm not so sure yet, but Marc will be on the Cup."Source

It sounds like Chiarelli doesn't think Kampfer or Hnidy will get their names on the Cup. With everything that Savard has gone through I'm glad and happy that he will get his name on the Cup.

Monday, September 5, 2011

There's a report on other Bruins sites that veteran forward Chris Clark has accepted an invitation to attend Bruins camp and try to earn a spot on the roster.

Clark, 35, collected 15 points in 53 games last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The winger was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 1994 where he made his NHL debut during the 1999-2000 season after spending four years at Clarkson University and another in the minors. He eventually moved on to play for Washington where he became the team's captain. Clark has also battled injuries over the years (including last season), something that has limited his playing time as of late.Source

If Clark does earn a spot on the roster, it may be as an extra forward or maybe a place on the fourth line as an energy player. He does bring experience and veteran leadership, as the NESN article also mentioned he was captain of the Washington Capitals at one time when he was there. Clark also scored 30 goals back in 2006-07 on a high-powered Capitals team but don't expect that from him. He's also one of those rugged players that will hit and stand up for teammates, which is the Bruins style of play. The only down part is Clark's history of injuries as the article points out too. If he can stay healthy he will contribute to the team.